How did you get into this field? "After graduating from graduate school, I was looking for ways to make a difference in our community, especially in under-served communities of color. A friend suggested I apply for a position with Sandhills Family Heritage Association. SFHA is a community based nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life in rural under-served minority communities in Cumberland, Harnett, Moore and Lee counties."

What brought you into the Fayetteville area? "Shortly after we could get married, my husband received orders to be stationed at the Fort Bragg military base. Military life was a wonderful experience because it offered us the opportunity to meet new people and make lifelong friends here in this community."

What is your favorite part about this job? "My favorite part about this job is people working together can really make a difference in this community. SFHA has formed many great community partnerships. These collaborations help SFHA maintain programs and services bringing low-income and under-served communities of color together to promote self-sufficiency. This will also allow them to protect land ownership, preserve cultural heritage and ensure ongoing sharing of knowledge and leadership throughout education."

What is the hardest part about this job? "One of the challenges is implementing strategies to overcoming barriers facing limited resources customers and creating greater awareness for our programs. An example is our Sandhills Farmers and Heritage Market. The market is open from June to September and is located at 230 Chapel Hill Road in Spring Lake. It offers a variety of locally grown produce, an incentive program that doubles the purchasing power for SNAP/EBT recipients, cooking demonstrations, kids’ activities, health and nutrition information, low-impact exercise sessions and products made by local artisans."

If you could do any other job what would you want to do and why? "I would like to teach children good nutrition and physical activity habits. It is important to educate them while they are young to increase their chances of becoming healthy adults."

If someone was interested in this field of work, what would you say to convince them to do this work? "If someone is passionate about creating sustainable communities through community engagement, this is the perfect field to get started in."

Contact Us

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
The Fayetteville Observer ~ 458 Whitfield St., Fayetteville, NC 28302 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service